In 2012, 89,004 local governments existed in the United States, down from 89,476 in the last census of governments conducted in 2007. Local governments included 3,031 counties (down from 3,033 in 2007), 19,522 municipalities (up from 19,492 in 2007), 16,364 townships (down from 16,519 in 2007), 37,203 special districts (down from 37,381 in 2007) and 12,884 independent school districts (down from 13,051 in 2007).

Other Key Findings

Among the key findings in the 2012 Census of Governments preliminary counts:

* Illinois leads the nation with 6,968 local governments — approximately 2,000 more than second-place Pennsylvania.

* Hawaii has 21 local governments, the fewest of any state.

* Texas remains first in the nation with the most independent school districts at 1,079. Closely behind is California, with 1,025 independent school districts.

* Seventeen states had more special districts compared with 2007, and 29 had fewer. Five states (including the District of Columbia) had no change.

Ten states had fewer townships because of mergers and consolidations. Kansas decreased the most, moving from 1,353 in 2007 to 1,268 in 2012, a decrease of 85.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

I did not vote for Mitt Romney in the 2008 primary. I did not vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 primary. But after tonight's speech at the Republican National Convention, I'm sold.

Mitt Romney is the best hope for getting this country moving again. Two things that stood out from his terrific speech. Romney is a humble man. Romney deeply loves his country. I can't say that about the current occupant of the White House.

It's Romney-Ryan on Nov. 6. It's time to let the grown-ups run the country.

When you put out a report about how working Pennsylvanians have suffered over the past 10 years, maybe you should point out that the governor for eight of those 10 years was none other than Ed "Fast Eddie" Rendell, who left office with a $4.4 billion deficit and kicked the can down the road on most of the state's more pressing problems.

Since former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell signed the ill-fated Act 44 into law in 2007 to divert funds from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to pay for subsidized mass transit in Philadelphia, the Turnpike has run up a $7 billion deficit. Heckavu job, Fast Eddie.

Glenn Reynolds on Democrats' growing reliance on voter fraud to keep power: Many of America’s largest and worst-governed cities suffer from entrenched and corrupt political machines that maintain their position in no small part via voter fraud. Corrupt machines (like that of Detroit’s disgraced ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick) siphon off money that should go to essential services and instead divert it to political fatcats and their supporters. Efforts at reform are often defeated with fraudulent votes.

A Berks County, Pa., Democrat is challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach in Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District even though the challenger doesn't live in the district and won't even be able to vote for himself come Nov. 6.

Have you been following the debate over Pennsylvania's new Voter ID law? Democrats are challenging a common-sense law that requires a photo ID before casting a ballot, claiming it will prevent many Obama supporters from voting in November. The letter below was published in The West Chester Daily Local News and the writer does a great job of exposing Democrats' real reasons for blocking an attempt to prevent voter fraud.

Not really a surprise

I don’t know how many of you recall Gordon Bennett’s letter in the Daily Local a few weeks ago (“Voter ID Law part of GOP strategy”) complaining about those mean Republicans in Harrisburg depriving “more than 700,000 Pennsylvania voters” of their right to vote, most of them who would “normally vote Democratic.” And I’m thinking (with a bit of mischief), “What is it about Democrats that they don’t know how to obtain proper ID like most people?”; and, were I Mr. Bennett, perhaps I’d be a bit reluctant to raise the question in a public forum.
But then again, should we be surprised? For isn’t this in large part a constituency that has become so dependent on others for guidance and assistance that special laws and regulations and entitlements must be passed and instituted and fostered on the rest of us to accommodate them?
Consequently, we are told that what is perfectly normal for the great majority of people ... obtaining photo ID ... is an “outrageous” suppression of their rights and a way to get Mitt Romney elected, and the governor’s office should be inundated with calls, express your outrage, blah, blah, blah. My goodness, such indignation!
In his shoes, seems to me I’d rally the party faithful and get these people down to the local county Democrat committee, or get some form out to them, sign ‘em up! How long have these people NOT had identification? Just a few days, or maybe ... a few YEARS!? How about a little less whining and showing some initiative? This sounds a little like New Orleans and Katrina, if you ask me, where people sat around waiting for help (unlike the victims of Mississippi flooding in the Midwest), rather than looking out for themselves which, if you’ll pardon the obvious, is pretty much what one of the major themes of this election is all about too.

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Besides the serious business of nominating the next president and vice president of the United States, there will also be plenty of quality entertainment at the 2012 Republican National Convention, organizers promised today. "We've booked outstanding…

Despite spending $120 billion in mostly negative ads to smear Republican opponent Mitt Romney, Barack Obama has failed to move the presidential race beyond where it was in June - a virtual tie. And keep in mind that Romney has not unleashed his own political advertising yet.

From a USA Today article on a new rash of naked celebrity photos in upcoming magazines:

Are we getting tired of naked people? Even naked, gorgeous celebs? Maybe not. Australian model Miranda Kerr is the latest to pose in her birthday suit (and a pair of thigh-high boots) for Harper's Bazaar magazine's September issue, on newstands Aug. 21.

Obama worked mightily to get us in this $16 trillion fix, producing record trillion-dollar deficits year after year, and now is working just as mightily to avoid specificity on the issue. About the closest he has come to moving beyond vague generalities is his plan to allow the expiration of a Bush tax cut on people making over $250,000 annually. That recovery-defeating move would provide roughly enough money to cover 20 days of our borrowing averaged over a year.

Unemployment in the US is worse than what the government is telling you. Even with the high numbers, the Obama Labor Dept. manipulates the numbers to make the jobless rate appear better than it is. When nobody is looking (especially the liberal media), the department releases the real numbers.

Medicare is
broken and must be fixed. This isn’t my opinion or a political talking point.
The Medicare Trustees stated in their annual report that the trust fund will be
exhausted in twelve years.

This isn’t
because the trust fund was robbed or because of waste and fraud. If not one
dime were scammed from the program by criminals over the next decade, it would
still go bankrupt.

The way the
program currently runs is simply unsustainable. Just last year, Medicare took
in around $530 billion in taxes, but paid out nearly $550 billion in benefits.
With 10,000 seniors entering the program every day, that imbalance is quickly
growing.

Something has
to be done.

Some Democrats
claim that Republicans want to “end Medicare as we know it.” The truth is that
Republicans are working to save Medicare while Democratic leaders appear
content to fiddle while Medicare burns, hoping to score political points.
Even worse than doing nothing, “Obamacare” will cut $700 billion out of the
already struggling Medicare to pay for new entitlement programs.

Democrats
attack the Republicans’ plan, because they don’t want to talk about their own:
the Independent Payment Advisory Board. Buried in the 2,700 page law is a new
board of fifteen unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats that will have the power
to cut spending on treatments and severely limit the health care services
available to Medicare beneficiaries. Only a Congressional supermajority could
overrule IPAB (including an unprecedented three-fifths majority in the Senate).

IPAB
decisions won’t be debated in public and won’t be subject to court challenge.

It also won’t
save Medicare. Nevertheless, the President says he wants to give IPAB even more
power to make cuts.

The other
part of the Democrats’ plan is to start using general tax revenue to pay for
Medicare. Medicare runs on FICA taxes that workers contribute in each paycheck.
But now the president wants to raise income tax rates on small businesses and
high earners, fundamentally transforming Medicare from an insurance program
into a super-expensive welfare program.

You can’t
find the Democrats’ plan on a website. It doesn’t have a label or a name.
But it is obvious from their actions and rhetoric how they would combine tax
increases with bureaucratic cuts to keep the program running.

Republicans
have a different vision. We will not change the program for those currently
retired or nearly retired. Those Americans have already planned for their
retirements, and we respect that. We will reform the program for future
generations of Americans.

Younger
Americans would have the option of participating in a new premium support
Medicare plan. These future retirees would be able to choose their health
care plan, similar to the way federal employees (including members of Congress)
do right now. These plans would not be paid for with a voucher, as some are
claiming. They would be supported by a direct payment from the government.

Today,
Medicare is a government monopoly and suffers from all the problems that come
from lack of accountability and lack of competition. Under our plan,
competition between plans would lower costs and increase efficiency. Even
so, future retirees who don’t want to elect one of these new plans could choose
to stay in traditional Medicare. Our plan wouldn’t require any additional taxes
and wouldn’t place health decisions in the hands of unelected bureaucrats.

In the coming
months, you probably won’t hear President Obama talk about his vision for the
future of Medicare. You certainly won’t hear him talk about the $716 billion
raided from Medicare to pay for new programs. Instead, you’ll hear misleading
attacks.

Don’t fall for
the scare tactics. We can save Medicare for everyone, without taking more of
your money and without slashing benefits.

We have a
plan that works, and we want you to know about it. Please visit www.pitts.house.gov to read more.

U.S. Rep. Joe
Pitts, a Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional
District, is chairman of the Health
Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of
Representatives.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Sorry folks, but the Constitution Party will not be offering a presidential ticket to Pennsylvania voters on Nov. 6 because it cannot gather enough signatures to make the ballot.

Third-party candidates needed to gather at least 20,601 signatures — 2 percent of the total ballots cast for the highest vote-getter in last year’s statewide elections — to qualify for this year’s statewide ballot, according to the Associated Press.

Can we put somebody in the White House is is serious about solving the nation's problems? From Politico: President Obama on Friday weighed in on a matter of pressing national concern: his thoughts on the smash hit single 'Call Me Maybe' by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen.

The Sylvester Stallone action film easily won the weekend box office, but the sequel only took in $28 million, compared to $34 million from the first 'Expendables' flick in 2010. It just goes to show that not everything gets better with age.

One other notable note: "The Dark Knight Rises" crossed the $400 million mark in the domestic box office, becoming only the 15th film ever to reach such heights, but the Christopher Nolan finale of the Batman series will not come to close to earning what "The Dark Knight" did.

In 1920, the federal government spent $59.97 per American citizen, or $653.84 in today’s inflation-adjusted dollars, according to Face The Facts USA. Today, Washington spends $11,194 for every man, woman and child, the group says.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Columnist JD Mullane on Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr., "The Senate’s most ineffective legislator, maybe ever. He sponsored 199 bills in the 112th Congress, and none became law. A bad year of partisan gridlock, you say? Casey’s party controls the Senate and he still can’t get anything passed."

With a visit to The Holcombe Group in Sullivan County Tuesday, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) has visited all 67 Pennsylvania counties since being sworn into office in January 2011.

“Since joining the Senate, I have traveled to every corner of the state listening to Pennsylvanians, and I’ve heard the same concerns again and again. Pennsylvanians are worried about our economy and paying their bills. They’re concerned about their jobs being threatened by excessive regulations and rising taxes,” Sen. Toomey said. “I’ll continue to travel across the commonwealth to hear what Pennsylvanians have to say and to inform my decisions in Washington.”

Hello? Philly can you hear us? Voters in state Representative Mark Cohen's district (D-202) do you care? Your legislator is once again atop the list of lawmakers taking per diems. By a lot. Cohen claimed $39,333.75 in 2011, according to records released by the House Comptroller's office.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Former Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, who was the first member of Congress not from Illinois
to endorse President Obama in 2008, will be a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention and will presumably endorse Mitt Romney for President.

A
former co-chairman of the 2008 Obama campaign, Davis, then a Democrat, seconded
the official nomination of Obama at the 2008 Democratic National
Convention.

Davis, who is disappointed with the Obama presidency and radical policies, recently announced he is joining the Republican Party and
supporting Mitt Romney.

"The perspectives and
ideas (Davis and other headliner speakers) bring to the convention stage will show all Americans that
Romney and Ryan are the ticket to a better future," GOP Chairman Reince Priebus said. "Former Congressman
Davis especially will give voice to the frustration and disappointment
felt among those who supported President Obama in 2008 and are now
hungry for a new direction."

A reminder that abortion is not health care. From an editorial in the Reading Eagle: The founder of the charity and its president resign in the wake of a gaffe involving Planned Parenthood. They forgot that the fight against breast cancer has nothing to do with abortion.

A new poll of Pennsylvania voters finds President's Obama once double-digit lead over GOP challenger Mitt Romney dropping significantly as Election Day nears. (Obama won Pennsylvania by 10 points in 2008). Among the highlights of the August 2012 Franklin & Marshall College Poll:

The August 2012 Franklin and Marshall College Poll finds President Obama with a 6 point lead over Mitt Romney, 44% to 38%. Obama is viewed favorably by 46% of voters to 32%for Romney.

More highlights:

1.President Obama leads Mitt Romney, 44% to 38% with 15% undecided; when voters who lean to a candidate are included a similar advantage shows for the president, 47% to 42%, leaving 7% of voters truly undecided.

2.Bob Casey leads Tom Smith, 35% to 23% with 39% undecided, in the U.S. Senate race; when voters who lean to a candidate are included, Casey's lead increases 43% to 28%, but a high proportion still remain undecided (24%).

3.Compared to Romney, Obama is seen as better understanding of the concerns of ordinary Americans, 57% to 30%, better able to handle foreign policy issues, 53% to 34%, better able to handle the job as military chief, 47% to 37%, and closest to respondents' views on abortion and gay marriage, 47% to 37%. Romney now leads as the candidate most prepared to fix our economic problems (44% to 42%) compared to June (38% to 44%).

6.Almost six in ten Pennsylvania voters believe the state is moving in the wrong direction, 57%, while 30% say it is moving in the right direction.

This survey reflects interviews with 681 Pennsylvania voters, conducted by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College from August 7-August 12, 2012 (sample error of +/- 3.8 percentage points).

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Why Politics Matter

“Politics, the crooked timber of our communal lives, dominates everything because, in the end, everything – high and low and, most especially, high – lives or dies by politics. You can have the most advanced and efflorescent of cultures. Get your politics wrong, however, and everything stands to be swept away. This is not ancient history. This is Germany 1933.” –– Charles Krauthammer

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About Me

Tony A. Phyrillas is a leading conservative columnist, commentator and blogger based in Pennsylvania.
A veteran newspaperman with 33 years experience as a reporter, editor, photographer and columnist, Phyrillas received a first place award in 2010 for best column from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors and a first place award in 2007 for Best Opinion Column from Suburban Newspapers of America. He was recognized for column writing in 2007 by the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter and in 2006 by the SPJ Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Phyrillas is ranked among the most influential political bloggers in Pennsylvania by BlogNetNews.com.
Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine named Phyrillas one of the leading Greek-American bloggers in the world.
A Penn State University graduate, Phyrillas is the editor/content manager of The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa.
Phyrillas made frequent appearances on talk radio and as a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
He co-hosted a weekly radio program on WPAZ 1370 AM for 2 years.